From the heart
by shooting star19
Summary: CHAPTER 6 UP! LilyJames & MWPP. James really likes Lily, but she'll never know the true extent of his feelings...until something makes him drop the arrogant act.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter Potter. Come on, if I did, we all know I wouldn't be publishing here!  
  
Set a few weeks before Christmas in Lily and James's seventh year.  
  
James Potter sat in the Gryffindor common room with a satisfied smirk on his face, waiting for the scream that would tell him his plan had worked.  
  
"Potter!"  
  
Lily Evans came rushing into the common room. James' grin broadened; he could practically see the smoke pouring from her ears. She would have been very pretty-had her hair not been bright green, with purple polka dots.  
  
"I'm going to skin you alive, Potter," she snarled.  
  
"Hey, it was nothing personal! I was just testing out my theory! I heard that redheads have horrible tempers when provoked. Guess my theory was right then, wasn't it?" James asked, with an innocent look on his face.  
  
"Change my hair back!" Lily yelled.  
  
"Sorry Evans, nothing-doing. The spell has a twenty-four hour time lock; it won't wear off until tomorrow."  
  
"Just you wait, Potter. If you think that you're going to get away with this, you are very much mistaken."  
  
Lily stormed off to the dormitory, while James shouted back,  
  
"Nice talking to you, Evans!"  
  
"Prongs, if you like a girl, it might help if you didn't hex her every two seconds!"  
  
James turned his head sharply, to find himself looking into the eyes of his best friend, Sirius Black.  
  
"Like her? Don't be stupid, Padfoot, I don't like her! No one could like that moody, stuck-up girl!" claimed James, even though his cheeks were slightly flushed.  
  
Sirius surveyed his friend with a half amused, half disbelieving look. Deciding to let it go, he looked around for his other two best friends, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Spotting them coming down the spiral staircase that lead to the boys' dormitories, he hurried over to greet them.  
  
"Excellent, you're all hear! Look, I've had a brilliant idea!" Sirius informed them.  
  
"Uh-oh!"  
  
"Shut-up and listen, Wormtail," Sirius said.  
  
Peter's smile dropped.  
  
"We haven't played a prank on the Slytherins in ages, and since everyone's in a festive mood, I thought now would be a good time. I thought we could charm their robes so that they're invisible! What d'you think?" he said, excitedly.  
  
Peter pointed out that if Remus and James got caught, they would both be in serious trouble, as Remus was a prefect and James was Head Boy.  
  
"Oh don't worry Moony. If we get caught, Prongs, Wormtail and I will take the blame for you."  
  
After half an hour of intense planning, they decided that Sirius and Remus would perform the tricky spell, because James was not too good at Charms, and Peter, well, he was even worse.  
  
*  
  
Lily rummaged in her trunk for a suitable hat that would cover her now multi-coloured hair. Her fingers were trembling with rage, she could feel her blood fizzing and popping. That stupid, arrogant Potter, she thought. He always had to show off, playing mean tricks and pranks on anyone who was around, although his main targets were the Slytherins, especially Snape. Sometimes she almost felt sorry Snape, but it was hard to feel completely sorry for someone who insulted you the whole time. She found a hat that was not too dented, and went back down to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
"Morning, Lil,"  
  
"Morning, Isabel," Lily greeted her best friend. Isabel was tall and willowy, with curly, blonde hair, and cornflower blue eyes.  
  
They both made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast, where they met the rest of the seventh year Gryffindors that they were friendly with. Lily ignored the usual morning chatter and instead turned her attention to the tiny owl delivering her morning paper. She gave it five Knuts, and within a minute was engrossed in the news and affairs of the world she had only known about for six years. 


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys!  Sorry I haven't updated.  I know, I suck, but in my defence, I had a really busy Xmas, and sam-453 wasn't around to nag me.  

While we're on that subject, go read her stuff!  Tis amazing especially _The Child of the Key_.  Also, read becks89's fics, they are very good—I'm gonna read some more of her fics after I've posted this chapter.

Thank you to my reviewers:

Keeper of the West: Thank you for being my first reviewer!  You rock!  I fixed the layout, so yay!  I know the first chappie's a little short, but I just thought it should be a little taster, to see what people think.

Sam-453: Yay!  You liked it!  I'm so glad; I was kinda nervous about posting it.  Bet you can't bug me as much as I can bug you!

Becks89:  Hey! *waves*  Thank you for reviewing, and I'm glad you liked it.  You think it's well written?  Aw, thanks! :o)  I am v. flattered! 

Anyway, enough rambling, on with the story:

~*~

**Disclaimer** - I don't own Harry Potter.  Wish I did though.  I kinda envy JK.  Ah well.

Chapter 2

Picking up her heavy bag, which was stuffed full of large books, Lily ran to the second floor for her Charms lesson.

"Miss Evans, we are revising Summoning and Banishing Charms today, as the N.E.W.T. examiners often like to test that you haven't forgotten them.  Your partner will be Mr Potter," squeaked Professor Flitwick.

Lily shot an annoyed glance at her friend Isabel, who mouthed "Sorry!" with an apologetic look on her face, but she didn't seem so remorseful half a minute later, when she turned to talk to her partner, the infamous Sirius Black.

"Trust Isabel to go ga-ga over the most arrogant and annoying boy in school, second only to Potter," Lily sighed, under her breath.

"What was that, Evans?" asked James, with a wide grin on his face.  "You think I'm the most arrogant and annoying boy in school?  "Gosh, you never run out of compliments do you?" James joked, laughing at her annoyed expression.

            "Shut up, Potter!" Lily spat.  "Don't think I've forgotten about the trick you played on me."

             She opened her bag to get out her Charms textbook, hoping that if she just ignored the infuriating Potter, he would leave her alone and get on with the task.  Luckily, Lily was very good at Charms, so she didn't need to concentrate very much.  She went to fetch some pillows to work with, but didn't get very far because as soon as she had turned around, she felt something fly straight into her head!

            "Sorry Evans, my mistake-I was aiming for the pillow to go into the box!" said James, while trying to stifle a laugh.

            "The box is on the other side of the room!" shouted Lily, her green eyes glinting with anger.

"Wow, if looks could kill…" James muttered to himself.

Fortunately, there were no mishaps during the rest of the lesson, except for when Peter sent a pillow flying straight into Professor Flitwick, which knocked him off the pile of books that he was standing on.

The bell rang and everyone rushed to return their pillows to the cupboard in the corner of the room.

"Please practise these two Charms for homework, and make some brief notes on them," piped Professor Flitwick.  "Oh, and Mr Potter and Miss Evans, I would like a word before you leave, please."

Lily made her way to the front of the classroom with some trepidation; there was no reason for her to be in trouble.  Charms was easily her best subject, and she always made sure that she handed in all of her homework on time.  She was pulled out of her thoughts by Professor Fliwick's voice,

"Now, Miss Evans and Mr Potter, it is has come to the attention of both myself and Professor McGonagall, that that your respective academic strengths are the other person's weaknesses.  Mr Potter, you excel at Trnasfiguration, yet your Charms work is not yet up to N.E.W.T. standard.  Miss Evans, your Charms work is excellent, yet Professor McGonagall informs me that you struggle in her class.  Therefore we have decided, that it would be beneficial for the both of you to tutor each other.  Mr Potter, you will coach Miss Evans in Transfiguration once a week, and Miss Evans you will coach Mr Potter in Charms once a week."

Lily's eyes opened wide in horror.  She had to coach Potter, and worse she had to be coached by him!  She already had to put up with him in classes, not to mention Prefect meetings.  Now she would have see him another twice a week, and one-on-one!

"But, Professor…" she protested, but she was interrupted by Professor Flitwick,

"Now, now Miss Evans, Professor McGonagall and I both agree, that as seventh year students, you should both have the maturity to set your differences aside.  After all, as Head Boy and Girl, you should be able to understand and communicate with each other," the Professor said, with a twinkle in his eye.  He gave them permission to leave, as he climbed down from the desk he was standing on.

Lily stormed out of the classroom, fuming.  She couldn't believe the Professors had done this to her.  They both knew that she loathed Potter, so why had they deliberately made her life more miserable?  Lily knew that to be an Auror (which she desperately wanted to be), you had to be good at Transfiguration, which was not her strong point, but she would have much rather have had extra tuition everyday from Professor McGonagall, than once a week with Potter!

"Hey!  Evans!"  Lily, recognising that voice, whirled around, already glaring at ihim/i.

"Looks like you and I are going to be spending a lot more time together!" James shouted, with an evil grin on his face.  He turned away, murmuring softly "Yep, things are definitely looking up."           

~*~

Don't you just love James?  Not in my story, but just generally.  I love his arrogant self.  I know I'm weird! :o)  I'll be updatin' soon (if I don't get too much hmwrk from school – pray!).  Now review!  Please?

    


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone!  Sorry I took so long in updating--I blame it on homework!

Many thanks to my reviewers:

Keeper of the West:  I'm not sure about this being one of the good stories, but I'll do my best.  Thanks for the tip about the commands.  Got it all sorted.

Sam-453: Can't write in chemistry, I have Mrs Stegman!  LOL, why don't we just have a buggin'contest.

Laura: Thanks for reviewing my story!  Glad you like it. :o)

Anyway…

~*~

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter Potter or any of the characters.

Chapter 3 

Lily started to pack her books into her bag, ready for her first session with Potter.  She was dreading it, and had spent two days doing nothing but complaining to Isabel.  Little did she know that Isabel thought that she and James were made for each other, and that this was the perfect opportunity for them to discover their true feelings for one another.  Had Lily known, Isabel probably would have had to join Nearly Headless Nick as a resident ghost of Gryffindor.

            She walked down the stairs, with a sense of foreboding.  Spotting James by the crackling fire, she made her way over, weaving her way between the squashy armchairs and tables of the Gryffindor common room.

            "All right, Evans?" James asked.  Lily suddenly fervently wished that she were the one doing the coaching that first night.  An image of an arrogant Potter, lording over her suddenly flashed into her mind.  She answered him with a sinking heart

            "Mmm.  Come on, let's go to the library, there's too much noise in here for us to concentrate."  

James walked towards the portrait-hole, jumped out and offered his hand to Lily,

"M'lady?"

Lily shot him a death-glare, but her face cracked into a smile when she saw how hard he was trying to be serious.  She tried to bring herself back to her senses by thinking of the mean tricks he had played on her, and hoped this would make her angry with him.  But, try as she might, she just couldn't bring herself to be annoyed with him.  He just looked so sweet standing there, and suddenly, all the tricks he had played on her just seemed like jokes.  Jokes that had sometimes got out of hand, but jokes all the same.

"Lily?"  James voice snapped her out of her thoughts.  "Have you gone deaf, dumb, temporarily insane…or all of the above?"

Mentally shaking herself (whilst considering the possibility that she might have gone temporarily insane, if her recent thoughts were anything to go by), Lily jumped out of the portrait-hole.  She followed James' lead, praying that the hour with him would pass quickly. While she had been lost in thought, Lily had stopped noticing where she was walking.  She realised that she was nowhere near the library, stopped in her tracks, and found herself beside a statue of a one-eyed witch.  She heard James mutter something, and all of a sudden, she felt herself being pulled _behind_ the statue.

"James!  What are you--?"  She was cut off by the hand that clapped over her mouth.

"Shh!  Someone will hear us!  Just follow my lead."

Too intrigued to protest, Lily followed him in silence.  After about a mile of walking, she was about to ask where they were going, when she found herself in a room full of boxes and barrels.  James started to climb a stepladder that she hadn't noticed.  He signalled for her to follow him, and she did so, her curiosity mounting every second.  He helped her climb the last step into the room above, and when she realized where she was, gave an audible gasp.  _Honeydukes._  The place was empty, for night had fallen, but she recognised the smell of the barrels and trays full of delicious sweets and chocolates.  Letting themselves out of the store, James started walking towards The Three Broomsticks.  He ordered two Butterbeers, and found a table in a quiet corner of the room.  At first they sat in silence, each occasionally taking a sip of their drinks, but neither of them knowing what to say to the other.  At last Lily ventured,

"Why did you bring me here?"

"You just looked so glum when you came down to meet me," James explained simply.  "I couldn't bear you looking like that throughout the whole of our first session."

Lily blushed when she realised James had noticed how much she had been dreading the evening.

"Don't be uncomfortable about it.  You've already made it clear on hundreds of other occasions just how much you hate me."  He said this with an edge of bitterness to his voice.  "You've never been embarrassed to make your feelings known to me and the rest of the world before, so why should this time be any different?" James mumbled, with great feeling.

Lily frowned.  Here was a side of James Potter that she had never seen before.  He always seemed so cocky, so arrogant and sure of himself.  This couldn't be the same person sitting opposite her, could it?

"James, I don't hate you…" Lily trailed off mid-sentence.  Saying his first name felt strange and alien to her tongue.  She realised that in all the years she had known him, she had never called him by his first name.

"Thou shalt not lie, Evans."

Lily face broke into a smile, but she forced herself to be serious. 

"I don't hate you," she repeated.  "It's just that in all the years that we've known each other, you've never given me a reason to like you."

James' chocolate brown eyes met with Lily's startling green ones.  Lily asked herself why she had never noticed how deep his eyes were.  _Probably because I only look at him to glare_ she thought, answering herself.  She felt herself being sucked in by those bewitching eyes.  It was almost as if she were falling, and she could do nothing to stop herself.  James drew closer to her, speaking in barely a whisper,

"Can I tell you a secret?"

Lily could feel his warm breath on her face.  He was too close, far too close, but the thought did not register.  Instead, she also drew herself closer, and breathed,

"What?"

There was silence for a moment, but it felt like an age.  Lily saw his gaze drift down to her perfectly shaped lips, and for one long, shocking moment, she thought he was going to kiss her.

~*~

Ha!  I've never done a cliffy before, and I thought I was going to feel incredibly mean after doing that, but you know, I just feel too darn good.  I agree with Sam-453, cliffies are fun ('cept when you're on the receiving end)!  Anyway, please review! I'll love you forever?


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, you guys have waited a long time for this (some more patiently than others!).  Sorry that it took so long; this story is giving me more trouble than I thought it would!  Many thanks to all my reviewers.

**Disclaimer: **As much as I wish I did, I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters. 

Previously…

_"Can I tell you a secret?"_

_Lily could feel his warm breath on her face.  He was too close, far too close, but the thought did not register.  Instead, she also drew herself closer, and breathed,_

_"What?"_

_There was silence for a moment, but it felt like an age.  Lily saw his gaze drift down to her perfectly shaped lips, and for one long, shocking moment, she thought he was going to kiss her._

~*~

Chapter 4 

            "I don't hate you either."

            Lily let out a surprised giggle, before snapping back to her senses.  She drew her head back sharply and gasped,

            "I want to go home."

            "What's wrong?  Did I say something to upset you?" James asked, concerned.

            "Please just take me home."

            James took one look at her eyes, and seeing their glazed expression, decided not to argue.

            As they walked back to Hogwarts, there was an awkward silence, but only James seemed to notice it.  Lily walked on in her own world, and seemed to ignore the growing tension in the air.  James was confused…as far as he knew he had not said anything to upset Lily, yet she seemed distant with him.  

            James gave the password to the Fat Lady, and as soon as the portrait had swung open, Lily rushed through the nearly empty common room, and up the spiral staircase to the girls' dormitories without a word of parting.  James just stood in the midst of the squashy armchairs and pouffes, completely bemused.  He had no idea what was going on inside that head of Lily's. As far as he was concerned, that night was the first time that they had spent more than ten minutes together without it ending in an argument.  It was more than that; it was the first time that James had felt such an attraction to anyone, let alone such a connection.  He climbed up the stairs to his dormitory still lost in thought.

            Meanwhile Lily had gone up to her dormitory, hoping to change into her comfy pyjamas and go to sleep as quickly as possible.  Isabel however, had another plan, and one that Lily was not going to like.

            "Stop right there.  There's no way I'm letting you go straight to bed looking like that.  Usually when you see James you look like you're about explode or something.  What's wrong with you?  You look like a zombie!" Isabel said, bluntly.  "I want details, and plenty of them."

            "Isabel, I'm really tired, please just let me go to bed.  I've got enough on my mind without having to deal with you harassing me."

            For once Isabel heeded Lily's requests, but she was still burning with curiosity.

*

            The next morning Lily woke up with an overwhelming feeling of dread hanging over her like a dark, thunderous cloud, although she wasn't quite sure why.  She sat up with realisation, as she remembered that it was her turn to tutor James.  With a load groan she climbed out of bed, thanking her lucky stars that she had all day before she had to face him.  After a quick bath, Lily ran down to the Great Hall for breakfast, grateful that it was a Saturday.

            Upon walking in, she found hundreds of banners and flags, each emblazoned with various slogans and motifs, indicating that the day of the eagerly awaited Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin had arrived.

            An hour later, the Quidditch match had come to an exhilarating climax, with James barely catching the Snitch, and Gryffindor winning by just twenty points. Lily was pleased for Gryffindor, but her mind was occupied with other things, namely, James.  

She couldn't understand what had prompted this complete change of personality.  In all the years she had known him, James had been playful, a prankster, teasing to the point of cruelty.  Yet last night, she had seen a different side of him.  At least she hoped it was a different side of him.  Of course, there was always the possibility that it was all one big act that James had put on to try and get her to go out with him.  She wouldn't be surprised.  James had constantly asked Lily out since fourth year, and she had constantly refused.  She didn't feel too bad about it; after all, he couldn't like her all that much if he carried on playing pranks on her and annoying her in general.  She figured that this new "nice" James was just another one of his tactics, another way to get her to go out with him.  

            A loud shout from a Slytherin walking back to the castle pulled her out of her momentary reverie, but Lily silently chided herself for being so sceptical.  She reminded herself that everyone deserved a second chance, and that it was possible for people to change—stranger things had happened.

            As she walked back to the common room, she resolved to talk to James, apologise for the way she had behaved the previous night and arrange a tuition time for later on that day.  After all, if "nice" James decided to stay, there was no reason why they couldn't be friends.  Maybe even more than friends—there was no denying that James was sort of cute.  Lily pulled a face and immediately felt disgusted with herself for that sinful thought.

            She gave the password to the Fat Lady and climbed through the portrait hole to find the Gryffindor victory party in full swing. She scanned the room, searching for James, and caught sight of him by the fire—flirting with about six simpering, giggling girls.

            _"Nice" James obviously didn't want to stick around,_ she thought bitterly to herself.

~*~

Argh!  I know this chapter sucks, but I'm working without my muse, people.  He left the country.  I promise the next chapter will be better.  Review please, if only to tell me how much it sucks.


	5. Chapter 5

HA!  I updated within a month of posting the last chapter!  Thank you so much for the reviews.  I know the last chapter wasn't very long, but it was the right place to stop the story, if you get my drift.

Special shout-out to my 'lil cousin Snez—this chapter is dedicated to her.  I was gonna have more MWPP in the next chapter, but she wanted it now, so here ya go:

**Disclaimer:** *sigh* I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

Chapter 5

Lily could not understand how those girls could put up with the arrogant, stuck-up Marauders, and moreover, how they could play along; flirting and giggling like mindless idiots.  Her eyes travelled around the room searching for Isabel, and Lily let out an audible gasp when she saw her chatting animatedly to Sirius Black.  She was _not_ going to let her best friend become a mindless idiot.  She marched over, her eyes flashing dangerously.

            "Isabel, could I have a quick word?" Lily hissed, whilst pulling her over to a corner of the room.  "What are you doing with Sirius Black?"

            "I was having a conversation with him, Lily.  You know, when one person says something, and the other responds.  Or maybe you're not familiar with the art of conversation yet."

              "You _know_ how I feel about the Marauders.  Sirius is loud, rude and most of all he is a player.  Please don't tell me you're interested in him or I may just have to gouge my eyes out with a spoon."

            "Look, I don't understand why you have such a problem with them.  Yeah, so James has played a prank or two on you, but that doesn't mean you have to hold it against the rest of them.  Peter's as quiet as a mouse, and Remus is really sweet.  And so is Sirius.  Just because you have a problem with them, doesn't mean that I do."

            "Fine!  But don't come crying to me when you wake up one morning and your skin is bright orange with green splotches.  Because that's what happens when you befriend the Marauders!" Lily exploded, and stalked out of the common room.

            Isabel sighed.  She was used to Lily's outbursts, but they always attracted attention and strange looks in the common room.  She looked round, grinning half-heartedly at the people who were staring over.  Sighing once more, she walked back over to Sirius, James, Remus and Peter.

            "Sorry about that," she apologised, with a small smile on her face.

            "It's okay.  Lily's not too happy about you talking to us, huh?  Tut tut, Isabel, fraternising with the enemy.  Whatever will you do next?" Sirius asked, with a wicked grin.

            Isabel laughed and told him to shut up.

            "Hey, here's an idea!  How would you like to be an accessory to crime?  We're going to play a prank on the Slytherins—just to get everyone in the festive mood.  You might be useful," Sirius mused.

            "Sirius!  What are you doing?!  We don't let _anyone_ help with our pranks, especially not a g…" James trailed off mid-sentence, looking very uncomfortable.

            "It's okay, James.  It's not a secret.  You can say it: I'm a G-I-R-L.  Nice to know sexism is alive and well, though." Isabel said, but with an amused look on her face.

            "I didn't mean like that," James mumbled.  "It's just that, how do we know that you're not going to run off and tell McGonagall—or worse (and probably more likely) Evans?"

            "Don't worry I can keep a secret.  And I can play a prank as well as the next guy."

            "Everyone agrees that Isabel is helping us, right?" Sirius asked.  All of them nodded, even James (although he was somewhat more reluctant to include Isabel than the others).  "Right," said Sirius, turning to Isabel, "You're in."

*

            Lily woke up bright and early the next morning.  She lay in her bed, listening to the morning twitter of the birds outside.  In her anger at Isabel, she had forgotten to arrange a tuition time with James, and he had been much too busy flirting with various Gryffindor girls to notice.  Lily groaned loudly.  As they had missed the tuition lesson the previous day, they would have to make up for it today, which would mean putting up with James for a whole hour.  She was still bitter about the fact that James's personality had done a one-eighty degree turnaround during their first lesson—and then turned right back round again the following day.     

            She heaved herself out of bed and walked over to Isabel's bed.  The pair had made up the night before, as Lily resolved not to be so interfering, and Isabel had forgiven her.  The pair were prone to arguing, as they were both so opinionated and Lily had a very hot temper, but the arguments were never serious, and never lasted for longer than a day.

            "Isabel, get up."

            There was no reply from Isabel's bed.  Lily sighed.

            "_Isabel_.  Okay, I'm going to give you until the count of three to get up, or I'll pull back the hangings.  One…two…three!"

            There was still silence.  Lily pulled back the hangings to find the bed made and a note from Isabel saying:

            _Ha ha!  Gotcha!  You thought I was still in bed didn't you?  I've got some stuff to do before breakfast so I'll see you in the Great Hall.  Keep an eye out for the Slytherins.  They shouldn't be that hard to spot—wink wink!  See you at breakfast!_

Lily frowned.  There was definitely something going on.  Isabel never got out of bed by herself; she always had to be woken up by Lily.  And, what was all that stuff about the Slytherins?  Most Gryffindors spent half their lives trying to ignore the Slytherins, so why was Isabel telling her to look out for them?  Lily shrugged, and decided to wait until breakfast; it would probably all be explained then.

*

As she entered the Great Hall, she hurried towards the Gryffindor table, hoping to find Isabel sitting there with an explanation.  But when she got there she only found some sixth years and Daisy Brown, one of the girls that shared Lily's dormitory.  She sat down and started to butter some toast, hoping that Isabel would arrive soon.

            The morning paper arrived, and Lily began to read it while drinking her pumpkin juice.  A loud cheer and shouting caught her attention; she looked up, and promptly spat out a mouthful of pumpkin juice.

            A group of Slytherins, including Snape, Avery, Nott and Lestrange had walked into the Great Hall, all wearing nothing but greying underwear.  What's more, the underwear had been charmed to flash various neon signs such as "I'M JUST A LOVE MACHINE" on the rear.  The Slytherins in question seemed unaware of their _unusual_ apparel and simply stood by their House table with puzzled looks on their faces.  Even members of their own House were too busy pointing and laughing to tell them that someone had played a cruel joke on them.

            A fuming Professor McGonagall strode over from the High table, her lips pursed together in an angry line.  She had spotted Sirius and Peter standing by the door with amused looks on their faces,

            "Black!  I suppose this is your doing?  And Pettigrew as well?" she barked.

            "Yes, Professor," Sirius answered with a smirk on his face.  Peter nodded meekly.

            "Well let's see if you look so smug after a week's worth of detentions.  And 50 points from Gryffindor!"

            "But, Professor!" Sirius exclaimed.  He had no qualms about the detentions, for they were a regular occurrence.  However, taking 50 points from Gryffindor seemed very harsh.  But there was no use in arguing, for Professor McGonagall was already marching over to the Slytherins.

            "_Finite Incantatem!"_ she snapped.  The neon signs stopped flashing, and the Invisibility Charm was lifted from the Slytherins' robes.  They sat down, still undure of what had just happened.

            Meanwhile, Lily had spotted Isabel coming into the Great Hall, and trying (unsuccessfully) to keep a straight face.

"Isabel!  What the hell is going on?!"

"Wasn't it fantastic!" she sighed.  "I helped James, Sirius, Remus and Peter pull a prank on the Slytherins!  Sirius and Peter agreed to take the blame though, because James is Head Boy, and Remus is a Prefect so they can't afford to get into trouble."

"I can't believe you actually helped them with one of their ridiculous pranks!  I know last night I said I wouldn't be so interfering but this is just _dumb_!"

"Hey!  It was funny and you know it!  I saw you laughing over here, behind your newspaper, so don't you pretend you didn't enjoy it!  Did you see Snape's face?  Priceless!

"We were going to charm their robes _and_ their underwear to be invisible, so that they would have walked in wearing only their, ahem…birthday suits.  But Remus thought that was taking it a bit too far."

"But—" Lily protested, but she was stopped short by Dumbledore signalling for attention.  The chatter died down as Dumbledore began to speak,

"Now that we have enjoyed the morning's entertainment courtesy of Messrs. Black and Pettigrew, I have an announcement to make," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"In light of the recent muggle killings by Lord Voldemort," he said, as people winced and grimaced, "Professor McGonagall and myself feel it would be beneficial to have a school event that unites the Houses and strengthens the bonds within the school.  We have decided to hold the Yule Ball on Christmas Eve.  The Yule Ball is the event that usually accompanies the Triwizard Tournament, but as this has not been held for many years, the Ball will be held as a school event in its own right.  It will be open to all fourth years and above.  The younger years will not be permitted to attend, unless invited by someone from an older year.  There will also be a Hogsmeade trip the weekend before the Ball in order for pupils to purchase dress robes and Christmas shopping.  Would the Head Boy and Girl please make their way up to the High table, as Professor McGongall would like to see you.  That is all."

Dumbledore sat down, as Lily and James walked up to see Professor McGonagall, with curious looks on their faces.  The silence in the Hall had been broken by excited chattering and murmuring.  Lily and James reached the High table and made their way to Professor McGonagall.

"Potter.  Evans.  It is traditional for the champions of the Triwizard Tournament to lead the first dance at the Yule Ball.  However, as we are not holding the Tournament, Professor Dumbledore and myself have decided that as Head Boy and Girl, you will lead the first dance—together."

~*~

Ta da!  You likey?  Even if you didn't please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N** Hey guys! Sorry about the incredibly long wait. But, here it is—finally! I just want to say a BIG thank you all my reviewers—you keep me going—and an even BIGGER thank you to my RL friends who constantly bug me to update (you know who you are—Snez, Laura, Sam-453, becks89). On with the story…

**Dislaimer: **You know the drill, people. It all belongs to the fantastic JKR.

Previously…

_"Potter. Evans. It is traditional for the champions of the Triwizard Tournament to lead the first dance at the Yule Ball. However, as we are not holding the Tournament, Professor Dumbledore and myself have decided that as Head Boy and Girl, you will lead the first dance—together."_

Chapter 6 

Lily's mouth dropped open in surprise, as she realised the meaning of Professor McGonagall's words. She would have to lead the first dance with Potter. _Dance with Potter_. She looked round at James, expecting him to have a similar look of shock or anger, but found a wicked grin on his face.

"Professor," she protested, "I don't think this a good idea at all—"

"Miss Evans, there is no point in arguing with me. It was originally Professor Dumbledore's idea, and I believe it to be an excellent one. My mind is made up on the subject. Besides, even if I did not favour the idea, it would not change anything in the slightest—Professor Dumbledore seemed most keen on it."

"But…" Lily began to complain, but she was interrupted by James.

"Now, now, Evans. You heard what Professor McGonagall said—her mind is made up on the subject," he said, with a smirk on his face.

"Hold your tongue, Potter. I have something else to tell you both. As Head Boy and Girl, you will be in charge of decorations and entertainment. I suggest that you take this responsibility very seriously, because Professor Dumbledore has placed in his trust in you both, and if this trust is violated, I will be most seriously displeased."

With that, she swept out of the Great Hall, but her usually stern eyes had a twinkle of amusement in them.

"God, the teachers are trying to kill me. First the tutoring and now this. I can't take much more of this," Lily sighed.

"Come on, Evans, we've been entrusted with a great responsibility, remember? Now, I think we should meet once a week to discuss the Ball arrangements, and have meetings with Prefects nearer the time. We better work fast—we've only got a few weeks 'til Christmas Eve."

"Once a week?! But we already have to meet twice a week for tuition!"

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me—we have to set a time for you to tutor me in Charms. How's tonight for you? We can have our first Yule Ball meeting afterwards."

As much as she detested the idea, Lily had no choice to agree to James' proposal. She sighed and made her way back over to the Gryffindor table, contemplating the day ahead of her. Last year she had made the mistake of thinking that nothing could be worse than Prefect meetings with James once a week, and she realised that she had now hit an all time low. It wasn't as if James couldn't be nice and _normal_; he had been friendly and even caring during their first tuition session. It was as if he had a split personality or something. That was what annoyed Lily the most—that, and his abnormally large ego. She tried to put her meeting with James out of her mind and eat her breakfast in peace; he wasn't worth stressing out over.

Later that evening Lily made her way over to the crackling fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, where she had agreed to meet James for the Charms tuition session and the Yule Ball meeting. Lily had asked Professor McGonagall if they could use one of the empty classrooms in which to practise Charms and have their meeting, since if they were noisy in the library, Madam Pince might have killed them in a slow and painful way.

James spotted her and made his way over. "Hey, Evans. Shall we get going?"

"Yeah, I suppose we should. Professor McGonagall said that we could use one of the third floor classrooms. Let's go."

They made their way out of the portrait hole and towards the third floor.

"Okay, I thought we'd start with the Summoning and Banishing Charms, since you seemed to have a _little _difficulty, with them in class. But one thing I don't understand is, if you always had so much difficulty with Charms, how did you manage to get an 'E' in your O.W.L.?"

"Well, the examiner was a little old lady, and when I told her that I wasn't feeling very well and smiled my "brave-little-soldier" smile (as Mum puts it), she sort of…sympathised with me," he said, with a smirk on his face.

"You charmed your way to a good grade?" asked Lily, incredulously.

"Yep," James replied.

"Well, N.E.W.T.S. are different; they're much more important. You won't be able to charm your way to a good grade this year."

"I seriously doubt that. I can be _very _charming."

"Not to mention _very _pig-headed," Lily shot back, whilst removing a box of purple cushions from a cupboard. "Okay, I'll stand on this side of the room with a cushion and you try and summon it."

She walked to the back of the room and stood against the wall. With a look of intense concentration that was almost certainly false, James drew his wand and shouted the incantation. The cushion flew about a quarter way across the room it where lost heart and landed on the floor.

Lily sighed. She hoped that he would have been able to summon the cushion half way across the room at least. Tutoring James was going to be harder than she thought, especially if he didn't make any effort whatsoever. Lily held out another cushion, and James tried to summon it once more. It reached the middle of the room this time, but then wavered uncertainly in midair and finally fell to the floor. They tried a few more times but each time the cushion seemed to run out of steam towards the middle of the room.

"Potter, you're going to have to concentrate if we're going to get anywhere. Just concentrate really hard and imagine the cushion flying into your hands. Picture it as it's coming towards and don't take your mind off it."

"I'm doing my best, Evans! You just look so gorgeous that it's making me nervous!"

Lily shot him a death glare. "Stop trying to chat me up, Potter, and just get on with it. And my name is Lily. Use it."

"And _my_ name is James. Return the favour," he shot back.

"Fine. Why don't we try this again, _James_?"

James drew his wand once again, but this time the look of concentration seemed genuine and he whispered the incantation fiercely instead of shouting it in a dramatic manner. The cushion flew straight across the room into his outstretched hand and Lily gave a whoop of joy.

"You've got it!"

"Yeah. That's the first time I've ever done it properly. Even Flitwick couldn't sort me out. You're a pretty good teacher, _Lily_," he said, with a grin.

Lily smiled shyly. "Thanks."

James suggested moving on to the Yule Ball arrangements, since their first Charms session had been quite an exhausting one, and for once, Lily heartily agreed with him.

They both decided that the decorations for the Ball definitely had to be more extravagant than the regular ones they had every Christmas; they wanted it to feel like a special occasion. Lily suggested hiring a band for the music, and so it was decided that a band should be voted for at the next Prefect meeting.

"What about dress code?" James asked.

"Well, I guess we should have dress robes. Although I think that Muggle formal wear can be more flattering. Robes can make us girls look at a bit pear-shaped and frumpy."

"Frumpy? You? You have a figure that most girls would die for and most guys would die when they see it," James commented, with a cheeky grin.

Lily laughed, her good mood preventing her from coming back with a cutting remark.

"Shut up." She fished around in her bag and pulled out a Muggle magazine. She opened it at a random page which had a picture of a British film star in a subtly revealing dress going to a film premiere with her current beau, and pushed it towards James. "That's what Muggle formal wear looks like."

James' eyes popped out of his head for a moment and he spluttered incoherently before saying,

"I – I think we should go for Muggle clothing. It can be a sort of theme. It'll help raise Muggle awareness and…and it'll help the Muggle Studies students with their subject."

"You just like it because it's more revealing than robes!" Nevertheless, Lily could not argue that Muggle clothing allowed for more variety than robes, and so they decided to ask Gladrag's in Hogsmeade to stock it for the winter season.

After jotting down various notes about the meeting, Lily glanced at her watch—it read ten past eleven, so the pair started to make their way up to the common room. How had time flown so quickly without her noticing? What was that saying? Time flies when you're having fun. Who would have thought that she had managed to have a whole evening of_ fun_ with Potter—no, James? And without any arguments or awkward moments. Maybe miracles could happen after all.

And there you have it. I promise to try and get the next chapter out more quickly. But for now, please review! It'll help me get that next chapter uploaded faster!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N** Hey guys! Once again I apologise about the ridiculously long wait…I promise to update more frequently in future. A HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed—you keep me writing, and also to my RL friends who constantly bug me (becks89, Laura, Sam-453). But the biggest thank you has to go to snazzysnez, to whom this chapter is dedicated. Happy (very very late) Birthday! Love ya so much! Well anyway, enjoy…

**Disclaimer:** Yep, none of the characters you recognise belong to me, but to the fabulous JK.

**Fluff disclaimer:** WARNING!! This chapter contains moderate fluff. Fluff-haters have been warned.

Previously…

_After jotting down various notes about the meeting, Lily glanced at her watch—it read ten past eleven, so the pair started to make their way up to the common room. How had time flown so quickly without her noticing? What was that saying? Time flies when you're having fun. Who would have thought that she had managed to have a whole evening of fun with Potter—no, James? And without any arguments or awkward moments. Maybe miracles could happen after all._

Chapter 7

As the weather grew steadily colder, the entire school seemed to get more and more caught up in the upcoming Yule Ball. The term had ended, but unlike most Christmases, nearly everyone had signed up to stay at Hogwarts over the holiday. The boys seemed to spend most of their time trying to muster up the courage to ask the girls to the Ball with them, whereas the girls seemed to spend most of their time discussing outfits and hairstyles for the Ball. Lily and James had asked Dumbledore to organize a Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas Eve so that students could purchase their Christmas gifts as well as their outfits. Gladrags had agreed to stock both evening-wear for the girls as well as tuxedos for the boys, and most of the pupils (especially the boys) were enthusiastic about the Muggle theme.

Lily had found working with James a much more enjoyable experience than she had expected. He seemed to have got it into his head that she was only interested in him as a friend, and throughout their tuition sessions and Ball meetings had refrained form asking her out every fifteen minutes. Even more surprising was the fact that her Transfiguration work began to improve; even Professor McGonagall had praised her improvement at the end of term. James was quite a good teacher! She began to be more comfortable around him and started to think of him as a friend rather than a pain in the backside. She was not entirely happy about having to lead the first dance with him, but there was not much she could do about it, so she just put it out of her mind for the time being.

About a week before the Ball, Lily and James decided to start putting up decorations around the castle and in the Great Hall. Since the Prefects were required to help the Head Boy and Girl with the preparations of the Ball, Remus was in the Great Hall taking instructions from Lily. James had also enlisted the reluctant help of Sirius and Peter, while Lily had persuaded Isabel to help as well.

As they decorated the Hall with holly, ivy and mistletoe, they chatted about schoolwork, teachers and the like, until the subject of who they were all taking to the Ball came up.

"So has anyone asked or been asked to go to the Ball with anyone yet?" Sirius inquired, somewhat nosily.

There was silence for a moment, as everyone was too embarrassed to answer.

"Come on! Lily, what about you?"

"Whether or not I've been asked to go to the Ball with anyone, Sirius, is none of your business," she replied haughtily.

"Spoilsport. Peter, asked anyone yet?"

Peter replied that hadn't asked any yet as he was too shy, but he was thinking of asking Sarah Scott, a Hufflepuff.

"Remus, have you had any luck with the fairer sex?"

Remus smiled in a secretive way. "Maybe."

"Spill the beans, Moony," said James.

"Well, I asked Daisy to go with me last week," he said, smiling more broadly at the petite, brunette Daisy Brown, who was also a Prefect and shared a dormitory with Isabel and Lily.

"And did she say yes?" asked Peter excitedly.

"Of course she did, you dolt," said James. "I don't think Remus would be grinning like an idiot if she turned him down! Remus you sneaky little…you never said word!" James exclaimed, while Lily and Isabel berated Daisy for not telling them.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," said Sirius. "It's taken you two long enough to get together. Remus has liked Daisy for ages, haven't you Remus?"

"Sirius! Why don't we talk about who _you've_ asked to the Ball?" said Remus, through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I haven't asked anyone yet. It's so difficult when there are so many girls to choose from, you know," he said.

"Aw, poor ickle Siri-poo. So many girls flinging themselves at his feet, that he can't choose which one of them to go with," said Isabel in a mocking voice.

"You know you're dying to go with me, just like the rest of them," said Sirius.

Isabel snorted. "Yes, Sirius, I'm secretly _dying_ to go with you," she said in a sarcastic voice.

"Fine."

"Fine? What is that supposed to mean? Sirius! Why are you climbing on top of the table? Sirius!"

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, as he flashed a wicked grin, "Could I please have your attention for a moment? I would like to take this opportunity to ask the lovely Isabel Williams to go to the Ball with me."

A few people laughed, and a few girls looked very disappointed.

Isabel blushed a little. "Sirius! If you don't get down from there right now…" she began to hiss, but she realized that she would have to give an answer to him anyway. She put on a false smile and replied, "Yes, I would _love_ to go with you, Sirius."

Everyone applauded and whooped as Sirius got down from the table. Isabel stood with her hands on her hips and a half-annoyed, half-amused look on her face.

"Sirius, if you ever do anything like that again, I'll—"

"You'll what? Love me even more?"

"I was going to say 'permanently maim you', but never mind. Thank you for asking me to the Ball," she said, this time smiling a true smile.

"The pleasure is all mine, _mi amour_," Sirius replied. "James, I notice you've been strangely shy and retiring during this whole conversation. Are you going to tell us which young lady will be so fortunate as to attend the Ball with you?"

James mumbled indecipherable and suddenly became very interested in the holly he was hanging from the torch brackets.

"What's that, Prongs? Didn't _quite_ catch what you said."

"I'm going stag," muttered James, slightly louder.

For some reason this seemed to amuse Sirius, Remus and Peter who sniggered to themselves, while Isabel, Lily and Daisy exchanged puzzled looks with each other.

"Now, now, James, don't fret. I'm sure we'll find _someone_ to go with you. There must be _some_ poor, desperate soul in the school who's willing to spend the night with you," said Sirius, with a smirk.

James promptly told Sirius to shut up and mind his own business, and eventually the conversation moved on.

After a hard week of organizing the decorations, food, drinks and entertainment, James and Lily were looking forward to a restful weekend. Unfortunately, this was not to be, since it was the weekend before the Ball and therefore the Hogsmeade weekend that Dumbledore had promised. To add to Lily's worries, she had yet to decide whether or not to get James a gift. She knew how embarrassing it would be if he gave her a gift and she had nothing to give him in return. Isabel had advised her to get a gift for James, if only for the reason that they were now friends, and deep down Lily agreed. What Lily found most difficult however, was deciding what to get him. She had decided to get Sirius, Remus and Peter a variety of Zonko's products, but somehow this seemed too impersonal to give to James. After failing to come up with anything better she decided to browse the shops in Hogsmeade and then choose a gift. James on the other hand, had already decided what to give Lily, although he wasn't too sure about what her reaction would be. Sighing, he murmured, "Well, we'll just have to see."

A voice behind him made him jump. "Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, you know," said Sirius.

"Shut up, Sirius. You ready to go?"

The pair made their way outside, where they found many other students leaving the castle grounds to go to Hogsmeade. They walked over to Peter and Remus, who were talking to Lily, Isabel and Daisy. They decided to split up, with the girls going to Gladrags first and boys after, so that they could also buy presents for each other. Lily was still thinking over what she was going to give James, but she hadn't gotten any further than before. She let out a sigh of exasperation and carried on walking down the street with the other two girls. The trio reached Gladrags and stepped inside. After an hour of trying on clothes and finding shoes and accessories to match, they visited some other shops in the village and bought their Christmas gifts. They had decided earlier to meet the boys at the Three Broomsticks for Butterbeer, and so they made their way to the pub.

"So what did you get at Gladrags, then?" asked Sirius.

"Well, we all managed to buy a little thing I call clothes," said Isabel, with a mocking look on her face.

"No, I mean what kind of dresses did you buy for the Ball? Strapless? Short? Tight? One with a slit down the side? Or all of the above?" said Sirius.

After smacking him on the head, Isabel sharply told him to mind his own business. They sat in the pub for a while, just enjoying each other's company and the stress-free holidays. Even Lily enjoyed not having to think about when her next essay was due or whether she had a test to revise for. It began to grow steadily darker outside, and eventually the group drained their glasses and made their way back to the castle.

Christmas Eve finally arrived, and with it came the excitement of the Ball. With all the decorations that had been put up by the Prefects the castle looked more magnificent than ever, and the Christmas spirit seemed to have touched everyone. Lily became more and more nervous as the day went on, and surprisingly James' feelings were similar. They had both put so much time and effort into organizing the Ball that a mishap would make them feel awful, not least because Dumbledore had entrusted the organisation of the entire event solely to them. As the day wore on, fewer and fewer girls could be seen around the castle, as they gradually began to retreat up to their dormitories to begin the long grooming process that was necessary for such an occasion. The boys remained bewildered as to why anyone needed more than fifteen minutes to get dressed, but as long as no-one expected _them_ to take so long in putting on some dress robes they weren't all that bothered.

After what seemed like hours to Remus and Sirius, Daisy and Isabel descended the stairs from the girls' dormitory to the Gryffindor common room. Daisy, in a light blue strapless ball gown, looked beautiful, but already Remus knew that she was; this was just a mere confirmation of that. Isabel, who always looked pretty, looked stunning on this occasion in a simple but exquisitely cut black dress with her blonde curls cascading down her back. Her beauty unintentionally filled Sirius with desire and he mentally kicked himself for it. He had gone out with plenty of pretty girls before, what was so different about this one? He never, _ever _allowed himself to get attached; that was his golden rule and already he could feel Isabel drawing him in. Asking her to the Ball was not the smartest thing he had ever done, but there was nothing he could do about it now so instead he held out his arm.

"M'lady?"

Instead of smacking him smartly upside the head as she usually did, Isabel played along and looped her arm through his.

"Thank you, kind sir."

"You look gorgeous. I might have to spend all night trying to make sure the other guys keep their dirty paws off you," he whispered in a mock serious voice.

This time however, Isabel laughed and told him that being too charming would lead him to a sticky end.

"Where's Lily?" asked James, interrupting their banter in what he hoped was an off-hand voice.

"She's coming in a minute. She was having issues with her hair," said Isabel, with an amused on her face.

Sirius and Isabel followed Remus and Daisy out the portrait hole to the Great hall, leaving a nervous James to wait for Lily by himself. He had kept his decision to go stag, and although there was a possibility that he would only have a partner for the first dance, he did not mind. For the first time he felt that if he could not have Lily, any second-best girl would not do. Lily still had not revealed who she was going with, if anyone at all, and although James had tried various tactics on Isabel (persuasion, bribery, threatening), she had refused to tell him anything. Fortunately for James, who was becoming more and more nervous by the minute (an emotion he was very unfamiliar with), Lily came down the stairs shortly after the others had left. The deep burgundy colour of her dress set off her milky complexion, and made the light smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks that James loved, stand out even more. He could not for the life of him understand why Isabel had said that Lily was "having issues with her hair". She had swept up her fiery curls onto her head, allowing a few tendrils to escape and frame her face. In James' opinion, it looked more beautiful than ever. Lily looked more beautiful than ever.

He remained speechless, fearing that if he tried to compliment her his voice would just come out as a croak. Instead he held out his hand, and she took it. They walked to the Great Hall in silence where they were met by Professor McGonagall.

"Mr Potter. Miss Evans." She nodded curtly. "Professor Dumbledore will open the Ball with a speech shortly, after which you will lead the first dance. Wait by the doors during the speech."

She walked off, leaving the pair outside the entrance to the Hall. James opened the door and they both stepped inside the darkened Hall.

"…pleasure to welcome you all the Yule Ball, which has been organised by our wonderful Prefects and of course, the Head Boy and Girl. They will be leading our first dance tonight, and will sit at the High Table as my guests of honour. Enjoy your evening." He winked and gave a signal for the band to start playing, at which they struck up a slow but passionate song.

James led Lily to the middle of the floor. He was unsure of where was acceptable to place his hands, when he felt an arm resting on his shoulder and a hand clasping his. On instinct he placed his other hand around Lily's petite waist and drew her closer. He forgot about the hundreds of pairs of eyes watching them, and he did not notice the other couples that joined them on the dance floor as the song played on. He only saw Lily; the way her auburn hair had sun-kissed streaks in it, the way her soft touch on his shoulder gave him goose bumps, the way she breathed softly, almost daintily. He wanted to stay like this forever. Suddenly the song came to an end and he became aware of his the people around him. He looked up.

"Mistletoe. You know what that means." he said.

"Hmmm…" Lily sighed, almost dreamily.

He was not sure if that counted as permission or a hint or _anything_ but he placed a hand on her cheek and brought his face to hers, making their lips meet.

There you go! Sorry about the fluff, but you can't say I didn't warn you. Anyway, fluff is very fun to write sometimes! :P Please review, it'll make my day if you do!


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